Inclusion Criteria:
- Resident of Alabama
- Previously employed
- Currently unemployed due to musculoskeletal disability
- Feel capable of work
- Want to work
Exclusion Criteria:
- Not a resident of Alabama
- Unable to work

The long-term objectives of this research project are to enhance program participation and
improve the vocational outcomes of people with work disability due to arthritis and related
musculoskeletal disorders (ARMD) who are actively seeking vocational rehabilitation
services.
Some researchers think that people with work disability due to ARMD seeking vocational
rehabilitation (VR) services who are exposed to an "agency access intervention" are more
likely to gain entrance to the VR system and be determined eligible for services than are
similar people not exposed to the intervention. Further, they think that people with work
disability due to ARMD who are determined to be eligible for VR services, and who are
exposed to an "agency enhancement intervention" while receiving services, are more likely to
become and remain employed upon completion of the VR program than are similar people not
exposed to the intervention.
The research design is a randomized, controlled, field experiment comparing the vocational
outcomes of a group receiving a two-part intervention to those not receiving the
intervention. The design allows us to evaluate separately each component of the
intervention. The intervention consists of training sessions to help prospective VR clients
with ARMD successfully enter and complete the VR program, and training sessions for a
randomly selected group of VR professionals to help them serve VR clients with ARMD more
effectively.
If this intervention strategy can significantly increase (1) VR utilization rates; (2)
post-service employment rates; and (3) length of post-service employment in a previously
underserved group with historically poor VR outcomes, it could have a significant role in
reducing the immense impact, nationally, of work disability due to ARMD.

The long-term objectives of this research project are to enhance program participation and
improve the employment prospects of people with work disability due to arthritis and related
musculoskeletal disorders (ARMD) who are actively seeking vocational (job-related)
rehabilitation (VR) services.
This study is designed to compare the employment situations of a group of people receiving a
two-part intervention and a group that is not receiving the intervention. The intervention
consists of training sessions to help prospective VR clients with ARMD successfully enter
and complete the VR program, and training sessions for a randomly selected group of VR
professionals to help them serve VR clients with ARMD more effectively.